Coach and friend remembered fondly

Student Caleb Abbe of Sarasota signs a poster in tribute to Dan Giguere. Caleb called Coach Dan "inspiring" and the "closest teacher that I ever had."

STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER

By SHANNON McFARLAND

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 7:52 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 11, 2013 at 11:31 a.m.

SARASOTA - Dropping flowers at the Payne Skate Park, posting tributes online and rallying donations for his family, Daniel Giguere's friends, many of them students and skateboarders, did anything they could think of to help and honor his memory Saturday.

On Friday morning, Giguere, 35, died in a car accident on U.S. 41. He lived in Bradenton with his wife, Alexandra, and their three children: Daniel, 7, Andre, 2 and Jean-Paul, 1.

He was known as Coach Dan at the Sarasota School for Arts and Sciences, where he taught physical education and coached basketball, and was an outspoken skateboarding enthusiast.

Students remember him as a down-to-earth guy who was a coach and a friend, someone who could make them laugh during P.E. and could turn a student's bad day around.

Giguere was also an avid skateboarder, the president and founder of Sk8skool, the nonprofit corporation that began operating the Payne Skate Park about two years ago. He pushed to get schools and students involved in the sport.

Mike Walling started managing the skate park, sitting on the board of Sk8skool, after meeting Giguere when his children were enrolled at SSAS. Walling and his children skateboard, and he began chaperoning school skate trips with Dan.

Their goal was to make the skate park free, as it was when it first opened.

“We wanted to lower the cost to the kids,” Walling said. “Our ultimate goal is to make it free, but the money to run the park has to come from somewhere.”

Once Giguere took over, they expanded the park's hours and offered classes, lessons and camps, with assistance for lower-income children. They involved the skate park in a statwide contest and started attracting pro teams to meet and show off their tricks for the students.

“He brought in kids who might never tried it,” Walling said of Giguere's passion for skateboarding. “He's opened it up to so many kids who would have been afraid.”

He said Giguere was drawn to the sport's self-expression and the creativity, even while he coached and played basketball and baseball.

“On a skateboard, he was free to be creative and do what he wanted to do,” Walling said.

When Giguere's students and friends heard the news of his death, many of them turned to the skate park.

People brought flowers to put on the fence, and the skate shop has a banner in his memory for people to sign. Students are talking about making T-shirts or stickers in his honor.

“I'd like to see something that happens at the park, that involves the school and the church groups,” Walling said. Giguere's influence stretched beyond the school and the park, reaching many people throughout his outspoken passion for skateboarding.

Blake Middleton, now 15, was 11 when he started 6th grade at SSAS, meeting Giguere for the first time when he made the flag football team.

Middleton ordered bracelets that read “R.I.P. Coach Dan Forever Remembered” and started talking with friends about organizing a bonfire or a party at the skate park, encouraging people to bring $5 to donate to his family.

Middleton played on the basketball team as a captain his 8th grade year, with Giguere coaching.

“One of the greatest moments I ever spent with him was when we made it to the championship game,” Middleton remembers. “We were winning by two points and the other team had a player that just dominated the game.”

With a few seconds in the game left, Giguere told Middleton during the time-out huddle to guard that player.

“He believed in me that I could shut him down and force him to miss,” Middleton said, writing in a Facebook message. “Sure enough the kid did miss the shot and we won the championship going undefeated on the season. I ran over to coach and gave him a hug and the other players followed.”

Benny Ray, who works at The Compound Boardshop, has known Giguere for years through skateboarding. Saturday, the shop donated 10 percent of its sales to his family, the fastest thing they could think to do to help. Ray said he expects they'll have other events or raffles later.

“If we can aid and help his wife, him being such a great guy in this community, we want her to know that she's not alone,” Ray said. “We love him and miss him.”

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Dropping flowers at the Payne Skate Park, posting tributes online and rallying donations for his family, Daniel Giguere's friends, many of them students and skateboarders, did anything they could think of to help and honor his memory Saturday.</p><p>On Friday morning, Giguere, 35, died in a car accident on U.S. 41. He lived in Bradenton with his wife, Alexandra, and their three children: Daniel, 7, Andre, 2 and Jean-Paul, 1. </p><p>He was known as Coach Dan at the Sarasota School for Arts and Sciences, where he taught physical education and coached basketball, and was an outspoken skateboarding enthusiast. </p><p>Students remember him as a down-to-earth guy who was a coach and a friend, someone who could make them laugh during P.E. and could turn a student's bad day around.</p><p>Giguere was also an avid skateboarder, the president and founder of Sk8skool, the nonprofit corporation that began operating the Payne Skate Park about two years ago. He pushed to get schools and students involved in the sport.</p><p>Mike Walling started managing the skate park, sitting on the board of Sk8skool, after meeting Giguere when his children were enrolled at SSAS. Walling and his children skateboard, and he began chaperoning school skate trips with Dan. </p><p>Their goal was to make the skate park free, as it was when it first opened. </p><p>“We wanted to lower the cost to the kids,” Walling said. “Our ultimate goal is to make it free, but the money to run the park has to come from somewhere.”</p><p>Once Giguere took over, they expanded the park's hours and offered classes, lessons and camps, with assistance for lower-income children. They involved the skate park in a statwide contest and started attracting pro teams to meet and show off their tricks for the students. </p><p>“He brought in kids who might never tried it,” Walling said of Giguere's passion for skateboarding. “He's opened it up to so many kids who would have been afraid.”</p><p>He said Giguere was drawn to the sport's self-expression and the creativity, even while he coached and played basketball and baseball. </p><p>“On a skateboard, he was free to be creative and do what he wanted to do,” Walling said.</p><p>When Giguere's students and friends heard the news of his death, many of them turned to the skate park.</p><p>People brought flowers to put on the fence, and the skate shop has a banner in his memory for people to sign. Students are talking about making T-shirts or stickers in his honor. </p><p>“I'd like to see something that happens at the park, that involves the school and the church groups,” Walling said. Giguere's influence stretched beyond the school and the park, reaching many people throughout his outspoken passion for skateboarding. </p><p>Blake Middleton, now 15, was 11 when he started 6th grade at SSAS, meeting Giguere for the first time when he made the flag football team. </p><p>Middleton ordered bracelets that read “R.I.P. Coach Dan Forever Remembered” and started talking with friends about organizing a bonfire or a party at the skate park, encouraging people to bring $5 to donate to his family. </p><p>Middleton played on the basketball team as a captain his 8th grade year, with Giguere coaching. </p><p>“One of the greatest moments I ever spent with him was when we made it to the championship game,” Middleton remembers. “We were winning by two points and the other team had a player that just dominated the game.” </p><p>With a few seconds in the game left, Giguere told Middleton during the time-out huddle to guard that player. </p><p>“He believed in me that I could shut him down and force him to miss,” Middleton said, writing in a Facebook message. “Sure enough the kid did miss the shot and we won the championship going undefeated on the season. I ran over to coach and gave him a hug and the other players followed.”</p><p>Benny Ray, who works at The Compound Boardshop, has known Giguere for years through skateboarding. Saturday, the shop donated 10 percent of its sales to his family, the fastest thing they could think to do to help. Ray said he expects they'll have other events or raffles later. </p><p>“If we can aid and help his wife, him being such a great guy in this community, we want her to know that she's not alone,” Ray said. “We love him and miss him.”</p><p><pic></p>